Gromyko Reportedly OKs Summit but Says It’s Too Early for Details

A Soviet-American summit is a good idea but Washington and Moscow are nowhere near agreement on a time or place for it, Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei A. Gromyko was quoted as telling a Canadian official Wednesday.

Gromyko made his remarks on President Reagan’s bid for a superpower summit to visiting Canadian External Affairs Minister Joe Clark, according to Clark’s press spokesman, Sean Brady.

Earlier this week, Reagan said he had received a reply to his summit invitation to new Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev, but no details were disclosed by the American side. U.S. officials have said that the Soviet reply, received last week, contained a positive answer, however.

No Media Report

Gromyko’s words, as reported by Brady, were the first indication of Soviet feeling on the summit plan. The Soviet media have not even reported the invitation, delivered to Gorbachev by Vice President George Bush in Moscow on the day of President Konstantin U. Chernenko’s funeral last month.

Brady told reporters that Gromkyo, who met twice Wednesday with Clark, made it clear that the Kremlin wants a summit but feels it is far too early to pick a date or place.

Some Western diplomats have speculated that Gorbachev may want to delay a meeting with Reagan until the new session of the U.N. General Assembly opens in New York City in late September.

Clark may be invited to meet with Gorbachev today.

While East-West issues, Soviet-Canadian relations and the Geneva arms control talks dominated the discussions, Clark said he raised human rights issues and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan with the 75-year-old foreign minister.